In the years following the Revolutionary War, Americans delved deeper into their new homeland and found an unequaled grace in the landscape of what is now known as Laurens County. Named after Henry Laurens, a famed war hero and South Carolina native, the county is nestled in the state's piedmont region, with short distances to both the mountains and beaches. Small-town charm lingers in the area, even as the county's towns grow to include extraordinary opportunities in business, the arts, and education. In this volume of vintage, black-and-white photographs, readers are fortunate to experience a Laurens County of a different era. The rhythmic patter of horse hooves and squeak of wooden wagons meant people were hard at work, and the ringing of a bell called students to a one-room schoolhouse. The landscape encompassed patchworks of farms and bustling mill villages before the region found the conveniences of modern technology. Some of those who fashioned the area into its present state-where pride in culture and heritage stand at the forefront-take center stage in this pictorial history. Laurens County will spark the memories of those who lived its history while illustrating the tales with images for future generations.

This reprint edition of MILLS' ATLAS has an especially prepared history and introduction to these maps as well as considerable history about Robert Mills, the man and architect, prepared be Mr. Gene Waddell, formerly Director of the South Carolina Historical Society, Charleston. These maps, originally 23 29 in size, have been conveniently reduced in size to 11 17 and folded to fit into an exquisitely gold-stamped simulated leather cover for book shelf or coffee table. The Districts for which maps are included are: Abbeville, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chesterfield, Chester, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Georgetown, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlborough, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg and York.

This volume contains abstracts of the South Carolina Journal Petitions for Land, South Carolina Colonial Surveys, and Memorials of Land Titles, with chains of title, marriage data, and many lost pieces of information that will assist researchers in this area of Laurens County, SC. These land deeds present new research aids to follow the out-migration of families-including many of the earliest land transactions, powers of attorney, and last will and testaments-as deeds of gift to family members are found. Ordinarily, Rabun Creek marriages went unrecorded and are difficult to locate, but they also show up in these deeds as dower rights and prior marriages. Complete with name and place indexes, this pioneering work identifies thousands of ancestors with connections to Rabun Creek prior to 1848.

Laurens County was founded in the late 18th century and named for Henry Laurens, Revolutionary War hero and distinguished South Carolina statesman. The county's small towns have grown to include opportunities in business, the arts, and education. In Laurens County, the community's history unfolds in vintage postcards of the Laurens Court House Square, Presbyterian College, textile mills, churches, health resorts, small towns, and local residents. These collectible postcards portray a picturesque county in upstate South Carolina that possesses a rich heritage, character, and charm that linger even today.